Coalition chairman Ofir Katz of Likud submitted a bill Wednesday night to dissolve Israel’s 25th Knesset together with all coalition faction leaders, as political parties moved toward early elections amid growing disputes over ultra-Orthodox conscription legislation.
Under the proposal, the election date would be determined during discussions in the Knesset House Committee. The stated purpose of the move was to maintain control over the dissolution process and coordinate its timing.
If the Knesset votes to dissolve itself, elections would be required within five months of the measure’s approval, placing the latest possible date in mid- to late October. Reports said the Haredi parties prefer holding elections in early September. Under current law, elections must take place by Oct. 27.
The coalition initiative came one day after the Yesh Atid and the Democrats factions announced that they had submitted separate bills to dissolve the Knesset, with plans to bring them for a vote next Wednesday. Yisrael Beiteinu also said it would introduce similar legislation next week.
The political push followed instructions from Rabbi Dov Lando, leader of the Hareidi party Degel HaTorah, directing his faction’s lawmakers to support dissolving the Knesset after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Haredi parties that there was no majority for the military draft law.
A message attributed to Rabbi Lando said: “We no longer have confidence in Netanyahu. From now on, we will do only what is good for ultra-Orthodox Judaism and the yeshiva world. We must act to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible. All kinds of talk about a ‘bloc’ no longer exist.”
A senior source in the Haredi parties later said in an interview on Kan News Radio Bet that “we clearly understood that Netanyahu does not intend to pass the draft law in this session. Therefore, there is no reason for us to commit political suicide for him during an election period. Everyone for themselves.”
Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz wrote on X : “But the question is not only when the elections will be held, but mainly what will happen here afterward. After the next elections, the State of Israel must establish a broad Zionist unity government that will lead Israel forward.”
